The Apple Watch and iPhone 6: What you need to know!

Unless you were completely unplugged yesterday, you likely heard that Apple made some fairly big announcements. If you want to sound like a member of the stylish digerati, here are five things you need to know:

1. When asked for your thoughts on the iPhone 6 Plus…You say: “It’s the Karlie Kloss of smartphones. It’s 5.5 inches high and only 7.1 mm wide, making it the tallest and thinnest phone out there.” Bonus points: If you really want to impress someone, mention that the Retina HD display has nearly three times the pixels of the iPhone 5s. The deets: This new-tech “supe” hits stores on September 19, and pre-orders start on September 12. The iPhone 6 Plus comes in gold, silver and space grey and starts at $859. (The iPhone 6, which is 4.7 inches tall, starts at $749.) 2. The feature you’re geeking out about…You say: “Oh, that’s easy—it’s the improved time-lapse and slow-mo video features. My runway videos from F ashion Week will be the best I’ve ever had.” Bonus points: Toss out a few additional stats that impress you—for example, the faster frame rate of up to 60 fps and the 240 fps for slo-mo. So what’s the one product that will change your life forever? Read on.

The Apple Watch Sport

3. The one product that is going to change your life forever…You say: “I thought that Tory Burch had solved Fitbit’s fashion challenge, but this mod and minimal number raises the style bar for all fitness and health apps. It makes the idea of wearing a watch relevant again. It’s even LBD-friendly, with the right strap and customized interface.” Some background: Okay, at ELLE Canada, we normally reserve this kind of unbridled enthusiasm for beauty products. The Apple Watch (why didn’t they call it iWatch???) trumps our obsession with the 3LAB Super Cream. This “smartwatch” is also cheaper than the cream, which retails for more than $800. The watch, which won’t be on the market until early next year and cost only US$349, is being touted as the proverbial game changer. “It’s the next chapter in the Apple story; it’s the most personal device we’ve ever made,” said CEO Tim Cook during his address at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts in Cupertino, California. (The original Macintosh was launched at the same place 30 years ago.) The deets: Aside from the watch’s fitness functions, you can receive and send messages, use your GPS, chat to Siri—and even send loved ones animated real-time emojis of your heartbeat. There are three collections—Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and Apple Watch Edition—and each category has style options for the straps, including rubber, stainless steel and quilted leather, as well as multiple customizable face options. It comes in two sizes: 38 mm and 42 mm. Watch the video here:

4. The one reason you’ll never be “tapped out” when it comes to shopping…You say: “Cash—and now plastic—is oh-so-retro with Apple Pay.” Disclaimer: If you want to know all the technical details, such as the fact that this mobile payment platform uses Near Field Communication technology, Secure Element and dynamic security codes, this isn’t the blog for you. But if you want to know how it may change your shopping experience, here’s the low-down: You don’t have to enter any credit-card details. It uses the card you have listed with iTunes, or you can upload additional ones. Pick your item, go to the cashier and then tap your phone on a digital reader while placing your finger over the fingerprint sensor on the phone. That’s it. You don’t exchange numbers; the clerk won’t even know your name. Bag in hand, you’re off to the next store. Don’t worry: Apple doesn’t know what you bought, where you bought it or what you paid. Sounds like the perfect husband. The deets: MasterCard, American Express and Visa have signed on, as well as notable retailers like Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s and Whole Foods. The tapping begins in October in the United States. Stay tuned for Canadian updates. 5. What’s the largest album release in the world…You say: “U2 trumped Jay-Z yesterday—at least in the ‘free digital download’ category. In July 2014, Beyoncé’s hub released his album Magna Carta Holy Grail free to about a million Samsung smartphone owners. Yesterday, U2 performed ‘The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)’ and then ‘negotiated’ a deal for Apple to gift it to half a billion of its iTunes customers around the world. Yes, that’s what you call a beautiful day.” READ MOREIf Apple Pay has you in the mood to shop, check out our shoppable videos Our favourite fitness gadgetsFitness must-haves (besides the new Apple Watch Sport)

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